Apparatus and process for preparation of small water cluster and small molecular cluster water prepared therefrom

ABSTRACT

The invention provides an apparatus of treating water to obtain small water cluster, which comprises one or more illumination devices and one or more holders holding metal particles. The invention also provides a method of preparing the small water cluster and the small water cluster prepared from the apparatus or the method.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The invention relates to an apparatus and process for treating water andthe water treated by the apparatus or process. Particularly, theinvention provides an apparatus and process for preparing small watercluster and the small water cluster treated by the apparatus or process.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

Water (H₂O) is an inorganic material consisting of two elements,hydrogen and oxygen. Water is important for all organisms and is anessential element of organisms. The elements and molecular structurebestow it with unique properties, particularly the formation of hydrogenbond. In the structure of water, there are two receptors and two donorsof forming hydrogen bonds, respectively; and various structures betweenwater molecules are formed by hydrogen bond, such as tetrahedronstructure like ice, dimer and polymer. Therefore, at themicroenvironment level, the water molecule is called a “water cluster,”which is a water molecule cluster formed with discontinuous hydrogenstructure. The hydrogen bonds of small water cluster are cleaved moreeasily to form individual water molecules, so the small water clusterhas stronger diffusion power and faster absorption rate. Therefore,compared to the large water cluster, the small water cluster can readilypass through the water channel on a cell membrane and allow aningredient to enter a cell easily and improve metabolism.

After water is boiled or gasified, it will become small molecule water;however, after cooling it to room temperature, water molecules will forma large molecule cluster. A water cluster has an antioxidant effectafter hydrogen gas is added; however, due to low solubility of hydrogengas, the hydrogen gas will rapidly effuse to atmosphere. The solubilityof solids and gas in water can be increased by elevating temperature andpressure; however, an additional apparatus and process are necessary toachieve this effect. More, after it returns to normal temperature andpressure, the solubility will return to the original state withoutincreased solubility.

Taiwan Patent No. M382845 discloses a filtration element with acomposite layer and a filtration apparatus having the element, saidcomposite layer consisting of nano noble metal chitosan composite, andthe composite comprising a chitosan substrate and a number of nano noblemetal particles adsorbed on the surface of the chitosan substrate. Theharmful substances in a fluid can be removed after passing through thecomposite having the substrate and nano noble metal so as to achieveantibacteria and deodorization effects. Furthermore, the filtration andadsorption are improved in view of the adsorption of impurities bychitosan. However, the water treated by the apparatus still cannotachieve satisfactory small water cluster.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,800,576 provides water cluster compositionscharacterized by high oxygen reactivity due to protruding, delocalizedpπ orbitals. The patent application uses a hypersonic nozzle containingnickel or nickel alloy, which is different from that of the prior art,to destroy the interaction between water molecules when water passesthrough the nozzle to obtain water clusters containing 5 to 300 watermolecules and having high oxygen reactivity. However, the property onlyexists in the water microdroplets formed by instant spray.

US 20110218251 A1 discloses a product having solid stable water clustersincluding a plurality of water molecules connected with one another byelectrical dipole interaction via internal electric field of ions andhaving a permanent electric dipole moment with an electrical fieldsurrounding the solid stable water clusters. The patent applicationdiscloses a product with stable solid water clusters, each sized from ananometer to a micrometer and formed by the electrical dipoleinteraction surrounding the water cluster. The chamber having ultrapurewater is filled with argon gas to avoid contact with carbon dioxide.After an additive (such as sodium chloride, vitamin, amino acid,hormone, protein, enzyme, polypeptide, polysaccharide, DNA, RNA) isintroduced to the chamber, electrical dipole interaction occurs betweenthe additive and water to form stable water clusters. However, the needin the patent application, for an additive means the resulting water isnot pure water.

US 20110089049 A1 provides an electrolytic method for treatment of waterto increase the dissolved oxygen content; the method further aids thedistribution and exposure of radicals through the water cluster. Thepatent application discloses a method of obtaining a single watercluster by confining a water molecule in an environment ofnano-materials including nano-carbon tube or grapheme nano-layer andcontaining nitrogen, alloy, palladium, palladium-gold orpalladium-silver, and the size of the water cluster is 0.5 to 100nanometers. However, the method of the patent application cannot providewater continuously.

US 20110039951A1 discloses a method including providing anano-environment and confining heavy or light water in thenano-environment such that at least one water cluster forms. However,the water treated by the above method cannot achieve satisfactory smallwater cluster.

US 20130056355A1 provides a water treatment system based on electric andmagnetic fields, which employs water to pass through a pipe containing arare earth alloy formed by lanthanum, yttrium, cerium, praseodymium,neodymium, samarium, titanium and zinc metal alloy and excites electronsof water to form an electric field and then pass through a pipe with apermanent magnet to create electric and magnetic fields to breakhydrogen bonds between partial water molecules. However, the watertreated by the above system cannot achieve satisfactory small watercluster. Moreover, too many various rare earth species are required.

Therefore, there remains a need to develop a smaller water cluster inthe art to obtain a small water cluster having increased diffusion powerand better absorption rate, which is more beneficial to health.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

The invention provides a water treatment apparatus for preparing smallwater cluster, comprising one or more illumination devices and one ormore holders holding metal particles capable of surface plasmaresonance. Preferably, the holder is a hollow light transparent columnwith one or more inlets and one or more outlets and the lighttransparent column is filled with metal particles capable of surfaceplasmon resonance. Accordingly, the invention provides a method forpreparing small water cluster by using the apparatus of the invention.

The invention also provides a small water cluster produced from theapparatus or method of the invention. In one embodiment, the small watercluster has a specific Raman spectrum, infrared absorption spectrum,evaporation rate, solubility, maximum amount of dissolved oxygen andvapor pressure.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE DRAWINGS

FIG. 1 refers to an illustrative drawing of one embodiment of theapparatus of the invention.

FIG. 2 refers to refers to an illustrative drawing of another embodimentof the apparatus of the invention.

FIG. 3 shows the ultraviolet-visible light absorption spectrum; (a)nano-gold water solution (solid line); (b) ceramic particles depositedwith nano-gold (dashed line).

FIG. 4 shows the Raman spectrum of various water samples.

FIG. 5 shows the reduction of hydrogen bonds in water structures bysmall water cluster and deionized water.

FIG. 6 shows the effect of different light exposure times on theproduction of small water cluster.

FIG. 7 shows the infrared absorption spectrum of the small water clusterand the deionized water; (a) deionized water (dashed line); (b) smallwater cluster (solid line).

FIG. 8 shows the evaporation amount of the deionized water and the smallwater cluster per unit time (hour).

FIG. 9 shows the ability for removing DPPH free radicals by the smallwater cluster and the deionized water.

FIG. 10 shows the ability for removing hydroxyl free radicals in Fentonreagent by the small water cluster and the deionized water.

FIG. 11 shows the reduction of nitric oxide-releasing ability by thesmall water cluster in different LPS (an agent inducing cellinflammation) amounts.

FIG. 12 shows the voltammetric data at a scan rate of 0.1 V s21 recordedin different water-based saline solutions at a 3 mm diameter planar Ptelectrode for different systems; (a) 30 mM K₃Fe(CN)₆ for one electronparticipating in the reaction; (b) 1 mM HQ for two electronsparticipating in the reaction.

FIG. 13 shows the anti-oxidative activity of AuNT water (

) and sAuNT water (

) compared to DI water (

) on reduction of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced NO release with doseof LPS. Determination of nitric oxide (NO) production was made followingthe method shown in the literature (see SD). DI water, AuNT water andsAuNT water were used for medium preparation. *p=0.05; **p=0.01;***p=0.001.

FIGS. 14 (a) and (b) show the removal efficiencies of BUN and Crea byusing saline solutions based on different water; (a) removalefficiencies of BUN by using different saline solutions; treatment timesfor removal of 70% BUN (initially ca. 100 mg dL21) are ca. 30 and 16 minby using saline solution (DI) and using saline solution (sAuNT),respectively; (b) removal efficiencies of Crea by using different salinesolutions. Treatment times for removal of 70% Crea (initially ca. 20 mgdL21) are ca. 29 and 12 min by using saline solution (DI) and usingsaline solution (sAuNT), respectively.

FIGS. 15 (a), (b) and (c) show in vitro haemodialysis simulation assay.During dialysis, AK column (B3-1.0A) was coated with nano-gold andsubjected to illumination to remove BUN (a), Crea (b) and other mediummolecules in blood (B12) (c).

FIG. 16 shows the gel electrophoresis of PCR reaction using the smallwater cluster of the invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

Due to the formation of hydrogen bonds, water exists in the form oftetrahedrally hydrogen-bonded water molecules (water cluster). Thehydrogen bond in water will weaken as the water molecule receivesenergy, is subjected to high pressure or comprises an electrolyte sothat the tetrahedral structure of the water is destroyed and small waterclusters are formed. The invention combines the plasmon resonance effectof nano-metal particles and illumination providing energy to increaseplasmon resonance effect to provide hot electrons to break hydrogenbonds in a water molecule cluster to form small water cluster withsmaller molecular clusters.

In one aspect, the invention provides a water treatment apparatus forpreparing small water cluster, comprising one or more illuminationdevices and one or more holders holding metal particles capable ofsurface plasma resonance, provided that the holder allows illuminationof the metal particles.

According to the invention, any holder suitable to hold the metalparticles of the invention can be used in the apparatus of theinvention. Preferably, the holder is a container, transparent column orsolid support. In one embodiment, the transparent column of theapparatus has one or more inlets and one or more outlets; preferably,the outlet of the column is narrower than the inlet of the column andhas a switching control valve. In another embodiment, the solid supportis a polymer support. In another embodiment, the container is a hollowcontainer or a hollow container having one or more inlets and one ormore outlets. Preferably, the hollow container is a shallow tray.Preferably, the wall of the hollow container is transparent. In oneembodiment, the illumination device is a light source providing awavelength ranging from 100 nm to 3,000 nm. Preferably, the light sourceprovides a wavelength ranging from 380 nm to 780 nm; more preferably,500 nm to 600 nm (preferably, 380 nm to 480 nm for nano-silver).According to one embodiment of the invention, the illumination device isa daylight lamp, LED lamp, lamp bulb, mercury lamp, metal halide lamp,sodium lamp or halogen lamp; preferably, LED green lamp.

According to the invention, any transparent material can be used toprepare the transparent column of the invention. According to oneembodiment of the invention, the transparent column is a glass column orplastic column.

According to the invention, the holder holds or fills with metalparticles capable of surface plasma resonance. Plasma is a physicalstate that occurs between metal and dielectric surfaces, and is formedby exciting a surface plasmon wave (SPW) between a thin metal layer anddielectric surface by employing electrons or photons. A TM-wave ofincident light excites free electrons between the metal and surface ofthe medium by a coupler so that collective longitudinal resonance can beformed. According to one embodiment of the invention, the metal particleis a nano-metal particle; preferably, nano-gold particle, nano-silverparticle, nano-platinum particle, nano-rhodium particle, nano-copperparticle, nano-nickel particle, nano-zirconium particle, nano-alloyparticle (such as ZrNiCu alloy), nano-TiO₂ particle or a combinationthereof. More preferably, it is a nano-gold particle, nano-silverparticle, nano-gold/silver particle or nano-gold/TiO₂ particle.According to another embodiment of the invention, the nano-metalparticle can be combined with another material to form a composite; themetal in the composite is preferably gold, silver, platinum, rhodium,copper, nickel, zirconium or an alloy and the other material in thecomposite is preferably chitosan or ceramic. The composite includes, butis not limited to, nano-gold/ceramic particles or nano-gold/chitosanparticles. According to another embodiment, the nano-metal particle isin a size of 0.1 nm to 1,000 nm; preferably, 1 nm to 100 nm. In anotherembodiment, the particle of the invention is spherical, cylindrical,elliptical, cuboidal or cubical shape.

Any known method can be used in the preparation of the nano-particle ofthe invention. For example, laser ablation method, metal vapor synthesismethod and chemical reduction method (such as electrochemical reductionand sonoelectrochemical reduction method).

In another aspect, the invention provides a method for preparing a smallwater cluster, comprising providing a holder holding a plurality ofmetal particles capable of surface plasma resonance, contacting waterwith the nano-metal particles and illuminating the nano-metal particlesto obtain the small water cluster. Preferably, the method is performedby using the apparatus of the invention; particularly, using any ofembodiments of the apparatus of the invention described herein. Themethod of using the apparatus of the invention introduces water to theholder of the apparatus of the invention and illuminates the holder withthe illumination device of the invention. After water passes through themetal particles, since the metal particles cause surface plasmonresonance (SPR), after illumination, a specific wavelength (about 538 nmin the invention) of energy can be absorbed to generate SPR effect tobreak partial hydrogen bonds in a water molecule cluster. Theillumination in combination with plasmon resonance weakens the hydrogenbonds of water to form small water cluster. The small water cluster ofthe invention can stably exist for long time (at least three days) andhas special properties and functions.

FIG. 1 is an illustrative figure of the apparatus of the invention.Referring to FIG. 1, the apparatus of the invention has an illuminationdevice 1 and a transparent column 2. The transparent column 2 has aninlet 5 and an outlet 6; the outlet 6 is narrower than the inlet 5. Aswitching control value 4 is equipped close to the outlet 6. Thetransparent column 2 fills with nano-gold/ceramic particles 3.

The water to be treated enters into the transparent column 2 from theinlet 5. The illumination device 1 provides energy 7 (provided bydaylight lamp or green LED illumination). After the nano-gold/ceramicparticles absorb energy at a specific wavelength (for example about 538nm), the surface plasmon resonance effect occurs to break partialhydrogen bonds of water molecules to form small water cluster. Theswitching control value 4 of the transparent column 2 is opened tocollect the treated small water cluster from the outlet 6.

FIG. 2 is an illustrative figure of another embodiment of the apparatusof the invention. Referring to FIG. 2, the apparatus of the inventionhas an illumination device 1 and an open hollow container 8. The openhollow container 8 has an inlet 9 and an outlet 10. The hollow container8 fills with nano-gold/ceramic composite particles 3. The water to betreated enters into the hollow container 8 from the inlet 9. Theillumination device 1 provides energy 7 by illumination (provided bydaylight lamp or green LED illumination). After the nano-gold/ceramicparticles absorb energy at a specific wavelength (for example about 538nm), the surface plasmon resonance effect occurs to break partialhydrogen bonds of water molecules to form small water cluster. Then, thesmall water cluster is collected from the outlet 10. In anotherembodiment, the invention provides an apparatus, the devices of whichand the connection thereof are similar to FIG. 2, with the differencemerely lying in that the hollow container does not have the inlets andoutlets.

In one embodiment, the illumination time in the invention is 5 minutesto 480 minutes; preferably, 5 minutes to 240 minutes or 10 minutes to240 minutes.

In another aspect, the invention provides a small water cluster producedfrom the apparatus or method of the invention. In one embodiment, thesmall water cluster has specific Raman spectrum, infrared absorptionspectrum, evaporation rate and solubility etc.

Raman spectroscopy is used to study interaction of water molecules.Raman shift of about 2600 to 4000 cm⁻¹ represents the OH vibration ofwater molecules, and five bands can be identified within the range byGaussian function deconvolution. The deconvolution of different watersamples is to fix the positions of the five bands, and the centralpoints of the five bands are about 3018 cm⁻¹, about 3223 cm⁻¹, about3393 cm⁻¹, about 3506 cm⁻¹, and 3624 cm⁻¹ in view of the fact that thefull width at half maximum (FWHM) is the same of each water sample. Theformer three positions represent strong hydrogen bond and the latter twopositions represent weak hydrogen bond and non-hydrogen bond,respectively (J. Raman Spectrosc. 2009, 40, 1200; Vib. Spectrosc. 2012,62, pp. 110-114; J. Chem. Phys. 1998, Vol. 108, No. 7, pp. 2669-2675).The integral area of the latter two bands divided by the sum of theintegral area of the five bands is defined as the percentage of thenon-hydrogen bond level (NHBL) in the water molecule sample. In detail,in the spectrum deconvolution, th signals of OH vibration are set at thepositions about 3018 cm⁻¹, about 3223 cm⁻¹, about 3393 cm⁻¹, about 3506cm⁻¹, and 3624 cm¹, and the full width at half maximum (FWHM) is thesame of each water sample. The non-hydrogen bond level is obtained bythe integral area at the about 3506 cm⁻¹ and about 3624 cm⁻¹ positionsdivided by the sum of the integral areas of the five bands at about 3018cm⁻¹, about 3223 cm⁻¹, about 3393 cm⁻¹, about 3506 cm⁻¹, and 3624 cm⁻¹positions.

Generally, the non-hydrogen bond level of deionized water is 21.29%.When hydrogen bonds are broken, the Raman spectrum shows that the bandstrength (area) of strong hydrogen bond decreases, while the weak thestrength (area) of hydrogen bond and non-hydrogen bond increases (J.Chem Phys. 1981, 75, 4264). Therefore, Raman spectrum can be used toshow the properties of the small water molecule cluster of theinvention. In detail, the central points of the Raman bands in thedeconvoluted spectrum on OH vibration of water are at the positions ofabout 3018 cm⁻¹, about 3223 cm⁻¹, about 3393 cm⁻¹, about 3506 cm⁻¹, and3624 cm⁻¹ respectively, and the non-hydrogen bond level obtained by theintegral area at the about 3506 cm⁻¹ and about 3624 cm⁻¹ positionsdivided by the sum of the integral areas of the five bands at about 3018cm⁻¹, about 3223 cm⁻¹, about 3393 cm⁻¹, about 3506 cm⁻¹, and 3624 cm⁻¹positions is higher than about 22%; preferably, larger than about 23%,about 24%, about 24.11%, about 25%, about 26%, about 27%, about 28%,about 29%, about 30%, 30.31%, about 31%, about 32%, about 33%, about34%, or about 35%. More preferably, the non-hydrogen bond level of thesmall water cluster is about 24% to about 50%, about 24% to about 45%,about 24% to about 40% or about 24% to about 32%. In one embodiment, theRaman spectrum further comprises the Raman shifts at the positions ofabout 3506 cm⁻¹ and 3624 cm⁻¹ higher than about 15.0% and about 6%,respectively, wherein the the percentage is calculated by the integralarea of the band at about 3506 cm⁻¹ or at about 3624 cm⁻¹ divided by thesum of the integral areas of the five bands at about 3018 cm⁻¹, about3223 cm⁻¹, about 3393 cm⁻¹, about 3506 cm⁻¹, and 3624 cm⁻¹ positions;preferably, about 16% and about 7% respectively, or about 16.7% andabout 7.3% respectively. In this embodiment, the percentage representsthe ratio of the integral area for one band at about 3506 cm⁻¹ or atabout 3624 cm⁻¹ to the sum of the integral areas of the five bands atabout 3018 cm⁻¹, about 3223 cm⁻¹, about 3393 cm⁻¹, about 3506 cm⁻¹, and3624 cm⁻¹ positions.

The infrared spectrum (IR) showing OH vibration of water ranges fromabout 3090 to 3640 cm⁻¹, which can be divided into two parts; thecharacteristic peak at wavelength of about 3090 to about 3310 cm⁻¹represents triple hydrogen bond (high density hydrogen bond) and thecharacteristic peak at wavelength of about 3310 to about 3640 cm⁻¹represents non-hydrogen bond, single hydrogen bond and doublet hydrogenbond (J. Phys. Chem. B, 2012, 116, 10609). According to one embodimentof the invention, the small water cluster has a specific IR spectrum,wherein the characteristic peak of the triple hydrogen bond (about 3090to about 3310 cm⁻¹) of water molecule and that of the non-hydrogen bond,single hydrogen bond and doublet hydrogen bond (about 3310 cm⁻¹ to about3640 cm⁻¹) of water molecule shift from about 3170 cm⁻¹ (thecharacteristic peak of deionized water) to about 3175 cm⁻¹ and fromabout 3449 cm⁻¹ to about 3454 cm⁻¹, respectively. In detail, thecharacteristic peak of the triple hydrogen bond in the IR spectrum(about 3090 to about 3310 cm⁻¹) and the non-hydrogen bond, singlehydrogen bond and doublet hydrogen bond in the IR spectrum (about 3310cm⁻¹ to about 3640 cm⁻¹) of the water molecule shift from about 3170cm⁻¹ to about 3175 cm⁻¹ and from about 3449 cm⁻¹ to about 3454 cm⁻¹,respectively. Preferably, from about 3170 cm to more than about 3183 cmand from about 3449 cm⁻¹ to more than about 3461 cm⁻¹, respectively.

According to another embodiment, compared to the deionized water, thesmall water cluster of the invention has higher evaporation rate. Theevaporation rate of the small water cluster of the invention is morethan 3%/hour higher than that of the deionized water; preferably, morethan 7.2%/hour higher than that of the deionized water. The preferredrange is 7 to 12%/one hour higher than that of the deionized water. Theelectric resistance is 18.2 MO cm using MilliQ system.

According to another embodiment, the solubility of NaCl in the smallwater cluster of the invention at about 22.8° C. under about 1atmosphere is more than about 37 g dL⁻¹; preferably, about 41.3 g dL⁻¹.The preferred range is about 38.5⁻¹ to about 40.5 g dL⁻¹. According toanother embodiment, the maximum amount of dissolved oxygen of the smallwater cluster of the invention at about 22.8° C. under about 1atmosphere is more than about 21 mg L⁻¹; preferably, about 23.8 mg L⁻¹.The preferred range is about 21.5 mg L⁻¹ to 23.0 mg L⁻¹.

The apparatus and method of the invention can effectively break thestrong hydrogen bond structure to form a weak hydrogen bond andnon-hydrogen bond structure, which is the structure of the small watercluster of the invention. Thus, the small water cluster of the inventionhas specific properties and functions. In one embodiment, compared tothe deionized water as control (in which the non-hydrogen bond level isabout 21.29%), the non-hydrogen bond level of the small water cluster ofthe invention is about 24.11%. In comparison with the small watercluster of the invention and the deionized water, the non-hydrogen bondlevel increases about 13% ((24.11%-21.29%)/21.29%×100%).

According to another embodiment, the free OH vibration (non-hydrogenbonding) of the small water cluster of the invention can form a hydrogenbond with polyethylene glycol 400 (PEG 400 having molecule weight of400). Therefore, the measurement value of the solubility of the smallwater cluster in PEG 400 is smaller than the preparation value by morethan about 2%; preferably, more than about 3%, more than about 4%, morethan about 5%, more than about 6%, more than about 7%, more than about8%, more than about 9% or more than about 10%.

According to another embodiment, the saturated vapor pressure of thesmall water cluster of the invention at 25° C. is higher than that ofthe deionized water by more than about 3.0%; preferably, more than about4%, more than about 5%, more than about 6%, more than about 7%, morethan about 8%, more than about 9% or more than about 10%.

Since the small water cluster of the invention is treated by theabove-mentioned metal particles, according to another embodiment, thesmall water cluster of the invention will have metal residue that can bemeasured by inductively coupled plasma-mass spectrometer (ICP-MS).Preferably, the concentration of the residue is more than about 0.05ppb; more preferably, more than about 0.1 ppb, more than about 0.2 ppb,more than about 0.3 ppb, more than about 0.4 ppb, more than about 0.5ppb, more than about 0.6 ppb, more than about 0.7 ppb, more than about0.8 ppb, more than about 0.9 ppb or more than about 1.0 ppb. The metalconcentration in the deionized water is about 0.03 ppb.

The small water cluster of the invention has specific propertiesdifferent from common water; for example, increased solubility of solidand gas at normal temperature and pressure and weaker hydrogen bondbetween water molecules. In addition, the small water cluster of theinvention at normal temperature and pressure can stably exist for a longtime. For example, it can stably exist for at least two days; preferablythree days. After the small water cluster of the invention mixes withother components, since the other components can combine with thenon-hydrogen bond or weak hydrogen bond of the small water cluster, thesmall water cluster can retain its form and without aggregating andlosing the properties and advantages of small water cluster. Therefore,the small water cluster of the invention has utility. The small watercluster of the invention has specific properties, so it can remove freeradicals and inhibit NO release from cell inflammation to achieveanti-oxidation and anti-inflammation. In addition, the small watercluster of the invention can also be used as a hemodialysis solution toincrease the removal rate of waste in blood and can be used as water forhemodialysis.

Accordingly, the invention provides a use of the small water cluster ofthe invention as hemodialysis solution. The invention also provides amethod for preparing a hemodialysis solution, comprising contacting ahemodialysis water with nano-metal particles and subjecting theresulting solution to illumination to obtain the small water cluster ofthe invention and using the resulting small water cluster to prepare thehemodialysis solution. The invention also provides a hemodialysisapparatus, comprising a hemodialysis bag or a hemodialysis column coatedwith nano-metal particles and an illumination device as mentionedherein. The treatment time for the removal of 70% blood urea nitrogen(BUN) and creatinine (Crea) in the hemodialysis using the small watercluster of the invention can be reduced by 47% and 59%, respectively. Inaddition, the small water cluster of the invention also can reduce NOproduction in a lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced inflammation reactionso that the hemodialysis is safer and more efficient.

In another aspect, the invention provides use of the small water clusterof the invention in a PCR reaction. Compared to deionized water, thereaction rate can increase more than three-fold when the reaction isconducted with the small water cluster of the invention. This shows thatthe small water cluster of the invention can enhance PCR reaction.

Since water per se has wide applications, the small water cluster of theinvention can be used in cosmetic, aesthetic medical, medicalpharmaceutical, energy industries and various chemical and physicalproducts, so it has industrial applicability.

EXAMPLES Example 1 Preparation of the Small Water Cluster of theInvention

Nano-gold was sintered and deposited on the surface of ceramic particles(92% SiO₂, 40 mesh) to prepare nano-gold/ceramic particles. Atransparent glass column was filled with 1,000 mL of thenano-gold/ceramic particles. The deionized water flowed through theglass column at a flow rate of 1 mL/minute under illumination to producethe small water cluster of the invention.

Example 2 Raman Spectrum of the Small Water Cluster of the Invention

The surface plasmon resonance spectrum of the nano-gold particles wasmeasured by Raman spectroscopy (Perkin Elmer Lambda 800/900). The samplewas placed in a 3 mL quartz cell. Water was used as the background valueand the scanning rate was 750 nm/minute. The largest absorption band ofthe nano-gold particle solution was at 519 nm (FIG. 3(a)). The surfaceplasmon resonance spectrum of the nano-gold/ceramic particles wasmeasured by Raman spectroscopy (Perkin Elmer Lambsa 800/900), thescanning rate was 750 nm/minute and the reflective signals weremeasured. The moist ceramic particles were used as the background valueand the surface plasmon resonance spectrum of the nano-gold/ceramicparticle solution was at 538 nm. According to the UV-visible lightspectrum, it was found that that the largest absorption band of the rednano-gold solution is at 519 nm and that of the nano-gold deposited onceramic particles was shifted to 538 nm. As shown in FIG. 3 (b), theenergy throughout the entire visible light zones can be absorbed by thenano-gold to produce the SPR effect. However, using the wavelength near538 nm of the light source produces a stronger SPR effect.

The Raman spectroscopy assay was conducted in de-ionized water (DIwater; control), the small water cluster of Example 1 (SWC) and thefiltrated water (CPT; positive control), wherein the production of thefiltrated water was similar to that of the small water cluster; thedifference between them is that the filtrated water flowed through theceramic particles without nano-gold. The ultra-small water cluster(super-SWC) was prepared by placing the deionized water on the surfaceof the nano-gold/ceramic particles. 0.5 mL of each of deionized water,the small water cluster and the filtrated water were placed in around-bottom container with 0.7 cm of circle silver slice, respectively,and a micro Raman spectrometer (UniRAM-Raman) was used for measurement.After the microscope was focused on the surface of the silver slice, thesample was scanned at the wavelength of 532 nm within the range of 2,600to 4,000 cm-1 at an exposure time of 1 second. After repetitive scanning30 times, the OH vibration signal can be obtained and spectrum dataanalysis conducted. The Raman spectrum of the ultra-small water clusterwas measured by distributing the deionized water moistenednano-gold-ceramic particles on the silver slice surface, and afterfocusing the microscope on the surface of the silver slice, scanning thesample under the same conditions as mentioned above. The Raman spectraresults are shown in FIG. 4.

Spectrum deconvolution analysis was conducted by setting the OHvibration positions at 3018 cm⁻¹, 3223 cm⁻¹, 3393 cm⁻¹, 3506 cm⁻¹ and3624 cm⁻¹ and using the same full width at half maximum (FWHM) for eachwater sample. The 3506 cm⁻¹ and 3624 cm⁻¹ positions represent the areaof the bands of weak hydrogen bond and non-hydrogen bond. The ratio ofthis area to that of the entire OH vibration bands is defined asnon-hydrogen bond level (including weak-hydrogen bond level andnon-hydrogen bond level).

Using deionized water as the control (the non-hydrogen bond level is21.29%), the non-hydrogen bond level of the small water cluster is24.11%. The non-hydrogen bond level of the small water clusterrepresents a 13% increase compared to the deionized water. Thenon-hydrogen bond level of the filtered water is 21.80%, which issimilar to that of the deionized water. The non-hydrogen bond level ofthe ultra-small water cluster is 30.31%. Compared to the deionizedwater, the non-hydrogen bond level of the ultra-small water cluster is42% higher. When the small water cluster is prepared in the absence ofillumination, the non-hydrogen bond level is 21.50%, which is similar tothe deionized water. Apparently, the illumination is an essentialelement to prepare the small water cluster. The non-hydrogen bond levelsof the small water cluster prepared by using nano-silver, nano-platinum,nano-gold/TiO₂ composite and nano-gold/silver composite are 24.36%,23.76%, 24.17% and 24.94%. This shows that other nano-noble metals andother nano-metal composites can be used to prepare the small watercluster of the invention.

Non- Raman shift (cm⁻¹) hydrogen 3018 3223 3393 3506 3624 bond levelDeionized 5.29% 40.22% 33.20% 15.66% 5.63% 21.29% water Small water3.93% 38.31% 33.65% 16.78% 7.33% 24.11% cluster Filtrated 5.26% 40.17%33.33% 15.40% 5.83% 21.24% water Ultra-small 1.19% 35.30% 33.20% 20.36%9.95% 30.31% water cluster a 5.23% 39.72% 33.54% 15.71% 5.80% 21.50% b4.59% 37.96% 33.10% 17.57% 6.78% 24.36% c 3.72% 38.49% 34.04% 17.59%6.17% 23.76% d 4.09% 38.76% 32.97% 17.29% 6.89% 24.17% e 4.49% 35.72%34.84% 20.11% 4.83% 24.94% a: Preparation of small water cluster withoutillumination b: Preparation of small water cluster using nano-silverparticles c: Preparation of small water cluster using nano-platinumparticles d: Preparation of small water cluster usingnano-gold/nano-TiO₂ composite e: Preparation of small water clusterusing nano-gold/nano-silver composite

Example 3 Reduction of Hydrogen Bond of Small Water Cluster of theInvention

Using the deionized water (0% small water cluster) as control(non-hydrogen bond level is 21.29%), the small water cluster of Example1 is 24.11%. Compared to the deionized water, the non-hydrogen bondlevel of the small water cluster is 13% higher. When the ratios of thesmall water cluster are 25% (non-hydrogen bond level is 21.84%), 50%(non-hydrogen bond level is 22.89%) and 75% (non-hydrogen bond level is23.33%), the non-hydrogen bond levels increase 2.6%, 7.5% and 9.6%,which shows a linear relationship between the concentration of the smallwater cluster (SWC) and the non-hydrogen bond level (NHBL) (see FIG. 5)with that in the small water cluster; the strong hydrogen bonds arebroken to form weak hydrogen bonds and non-hydrogen bonds to form thestructure of the small water cluster. Therefore, the small water clusterhas specific properties and functions.

Example 4 Effects of Different Illumination Time and Different LightSource in Preparation of Small Water Cluster of the Invention

20 mL of the deionized water (DI water) was added to a 50 mL glassbottles with 20 mL nano-gold/ceramic particles. The bottles were placedon shakers with regular shaking frequency and illuminated with differentlight sources. The water samples were taken at different time points andmeasured by Raman spectroscopy to obtain OH vibration signals for banddeconvolution assay to determine non-hydrogen bond level (NHBL). Afterillumination with a daylight lamp and LED green lamp (wavelength of 530nm) for 240 minutes, the non-hydrogen bond levels of the small watercluster illuminated by both daylight lamp and LED lamp can achieve asaturation value of about 24.4%. However, using the LED green lamp forillumination provides energy concentrated at 530 nm wavelength and canproduce a stronger SPR effect, so after about 10 minutes, the saturationvalue can be achieved. However, when the daylight lamp is used forillumination, the saturation value is achieved after about 120 minutes(see FIG. 6).

Example 5 Infrared Absorption Spectrum (IR) of Small Water Cluster ofthe Invention

Fourier-Transform Infrared Spectra of the deionized water (DI water;control) and the small water cluster (SWC) were measured byFourier-Transform Infrared Spectrometer (Bruker-Tensor 27); the spectrumresolution was 8 cm⁻¹, and the scanning was repeated 30 times; thesample was injected into a Precision Demountable Cell of InternationalCrystal and the thickness of polytetrafluoroethene separator was 0.015mm. The OH vibration of water ranging from about 3090 to 3640 cm⁻¹ canbe divided to two parts; the characteristic peak at wavelength of about3090 to about 3310 cm⁻¹ represents triple hydrogen bond (high densityhydrogen bond) and the characteristic peak at wavelength of about 3310to about 3640 cm⁻¹ represents non-hydrogen bond, single hydrogen bondand doublet hydrogen bond (J. Phys. Chem. B, 2012, 116, 10609). Afterthe deionized water was treated with nano-gold/ceramic particles, thecharacteristic peaks shifted to 3170 to 3183 cm⁻¹ and 3449-3461 cm⁻¹,respectively (see FIG. 7). This shows that the interaction between watermolecules becomes weakened (Phys. Chem. Chem. Phys., 1999, 1, 4619), sonano-gold/ceramic particle treatment can break the hydrogen bondsbetween water molecules to form small water cluster.

Example 6 Vaporization Rate of Small Water Cluster of the Invention

Compared to the deionized water (DI water; control), the small watercluster (SWC) of Example 1 shows a 13% increase in non-hydrogen bondlevel. Therefore, at normal temperature and pressure, the small watercluster evaporates quicker than the deionized water. However, after aperiod of time, the weak hydrogen bond and non-hydrogen bond levels ofthe small water cluster become the same as those of the deionized water,at which point the vaporization rate of the both will be the same. Whenpreparing the small water cluster, the deionized water was placed in aflask with 20 mL nano-gold/ceramic particles on a plate shaking at aregular frequency so that the small water cluster produced on thesurface of the nano-gold/ceramic particles can evaporate and separatefrom the particle surface and then the small water cluster can becontinuously produced on the particle surface.

80 mL deionized water was added to a 250 mL flask and 80 mL water wasadded to a flask with 20 mL nano-gold/ceramic particles. The two flaskswere placed on a plate shaking at a regular frequency and the reducedwater amounts in the two flasks were measured hourly for 7 hours todetermine the evaporated water amount. Each hour, the evaporated wateramount of the deionized water and small water cluster may vary, whereasthe evaporated water amount of the small water cluster is more than 3%higher than the deionized water. On average, the evaporated water amountof the small water cluster is 7.2% higher than the deionized water (seeFIG. 8).

Example 7 Solubility of Small Water Cluster of the Invention

20 mL of each the small water cluster (SWC) of Example 1 and thedeionized water (DI water) were added to sample bottles, respectively.Excess NaCl was added to the solutions, which were then mixed for 30minutes. After standing for 30 minutes, the both bottles had unsolvedsolute. The 1 mL of saturated solution was weighed to determine thesolubility of NaCl in 100 mL water of each solution. Moreover,solubility of tapimycin was also determined. 1.2 g of tapimycin wasmeasured and added to each of two sample bottles. Then, the small watercluster and the deionized water were added to the bottles as solvent,respectively. After continuous mixing until no unsolved powder remained,the solute was totally solved to form a clear gel-like solution. Thesolubility of tapimycin per 100 mL water can be obtained based on thewater (mL) needed to solve 1.2 g tapimycin.

The maximum amount of dissolved oxygen of the small water cluster of theinvention was further measured. 40 mL of the small water cluster and thedeionized water were added to 50 mL sample bottles, respectively.Gaseous oxygen was added to each water in bubble form for 30 minutes andthe cap of each bottle was screwed tightly. After the water was leftstanding 5 minutes, the maximum amount of dissolved oxygen was measuredby a portable dissolved oxygen meter (Lutron Electronic Enterprise Co.,Ltd., Taiwan, Model: DO-5510).

The table below shows the solubility of different solutes in the smallwater cluster and the deionized water.

TABLE The solubility of different solutes in the small water cluster andthe deionized water (1 atm, 22.8° C.) NaCl Tapimycin Oxygen (g dL⁻¹) (gdL⁻¹) (mg L⁻¹) Small water cluster 41.3 140.6 23.8 Deionized water 36.2104.5 20.3

It can be found from the above table that compared to the deionizedwater, the solubility of NaCl, tapimycin and oxygen in the small watercluster was 14%, 35% and 17% higher, respectively. This shows that thestructure of the small water cluster is different from normal water andcan effectively increase the solubility of solids and gas in water.

Example 8 Measurement of Amount of Small Water Cluster Dissolved inPEG400

The deionized water and the small water cluster were added to PEG400solutions, respectively, to prepare a solution containing 10 wt % water.The water amounts in PEG400 solutions prepared by the deionized waterand the small water cluster of the invention were measured by a moisturemeter; the results were 10.97 wt % for deionized water and 10.44 wt %for the small water cluster of the invention. Since the small watercluster contains more free and available OH groups for vibration, it canform hydrogen bonds with PEG400 and the water molecules forming thehydrogen bond cannot react with Karl Fischer reagent, and thus themeasured value is 4.8% less than the prepared value.

Example 9 Saturated Vapor Pressure of Small Water Cluster of theInvention

The measurement system was vacuumed before the experiment to removeother gas and then an appropriate amount of water was subjected to thesystem to start the experiment. The vapor pressure at 25° C. wasmeasured at different time points until the vapor pressure remainedconstant. The constant vapor pressure is the saturated vapor pressure atthis certain temperature. After 6 hours, the saturated vapor pressure ofthe deionized water and the small water cluster was 0.0316 bar and0.0344 bar, respectively. Therefore, at the temperature of 25° C., thesaturated vapor pressure of the small water cluster is higher than thatof the deionized water by 8.9%.

TABLE The saturated vapor pressure of the deionized water and the smallwater cluster at 25° C. 0 min (bar) 30 min (bar) 3 h (bar) 6 h (bar)Deionized water 0.0208 0.0313 0.0313 0.0316 (24.8° C.) Small water0.0327 0.0356 0.0354 0.0344 cluster (24.7° C.)

Example 10 Assay of Removing DPPH Free Radicals by Small Water Clusterof the Invention

DPPH. (free radical of 2,2-diphenyl-1-pricrylhydrazyl) is a stable freeradical customarily used in the measurement of electron paramagneticresonance (EPR) (Journal of Food and Nutrition Research, Vol. 45, 2006,No. 1, pp. 1-11). DPPH in methanol or ethanol solution can be stablyproduced and detected by EPR. However, when it is reduced byantioxidants (AH) or free radicals (R.), the free radicals, DPPH., willbe eliminate or reduced, so EPR measurement can be used to determine theability of the small water cluster to remove free radicals.

DPPH was added to methanol to obtain 4 nM DPPH in methanol solution.Different solutions with the ratios of the small water cluster to thedeionized water were mixed with the 4 mM DPPH methanol solution in 1:1volume ratio, respectively (the final concentration of DPPH is 2 mM),and then subjected to EPR measurement (Bruker EMX ESR spectrometer)after standing for two hours in the dark. The deionized water (0% smallwater cluster) was used as control and its EPR strength was 4033, whilethe ability of the small water cluster to remove DPPH free radicals was24% higher. When the small water cluster is at a concentration of 25%,the EPR strength is 3783; at a concentration of 50%, the EPR strength is3675; and at a concentration of 75%, the EPR strength is 3416 (see FIG.9). The ability to remove DPPH free radicals is 6.2%, 8.9% and 15% for25%, 50% and 75% small water cluster higher, respectively. It shows alinear relationship between the concentration of the small water clusterand removal of the free radical and that the small water cluster caneffectively remove DPPH free radicals.

Example 11 Assay of Removing OH Free Radicals by Small Water Cluster ofthe Invention

Fenton's reagent can produce strong oxidative and non-selective OH freeradical (.OH) in a reaction of H2O2 and Fe2+ ion and the .OH can oxidizethe hard-degradable organic materials in wastewater. However, the OHfree radical is a strong oxidant and thus may damage cell membranes,vessel walls, proteins and genes, cause aging and disease in the humanbody, and is harmful to human health. Since the OH free radicalsproduced by Fenton's reagent decay very rapidly, DMPO(5,5-dimethyl-1-pyrroline-N-oxide) should be added to capture the freeradicals to produce DMPO—OH free radicals. Then, the free radicalstrength can be measured by EPR.

Fenton's reagent reaction was conducted to produce OH free radicals, towhich 140 μL of deionized water (control group), the small water clusterand the filtrated water (positive control) were added, respectively. Thefiltrated water and small water cluster were produced in the same way asdescribed in Example 2. Then, 20 μL phosphate buffer, 20 μL of 500 μMEDTA (Fe²⁺/Ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid), 10 μL of 200 μM H₂O₂ and 10μL of 2M DMPO were added to the solution. After reaction, DMPO—OH signalwas measured by EPR.

The Fenton's reagent prepared by the deionized water was used as thecontrol group and that prepared by the small water cluster of theinvention was used as experimental group. The results show that thesmall water cluster can effectively remove 63% of the free radicals. Itwas also found that the filtrated water cannot remove the free radicals.The above results show that the removal of free radicals is caused bythe surface plasmon resonance effect after illuminating the nano-golddeposited on the surface of the ceramic particles (see FIG. 10).

Example 12 Assay of Reduction of NO Release by Small Water Cluster ofthe Invention

When the body's immune system is stimulated by a microorganism or itssecreted substance (such as lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or lipoteichoicacid), reactive oxygen species (ROS) can be produced and production ofNO induced. As a result, various inflammation reactions can be caused.

The measurement of the amount of NO was conducted by culturing RAW 264.7cells, a rat macrophage cell line, purchased from American Type CultureCollection (ATCC) in a medium containing bovine fetal serum (10%),penicillium (100 unit/mL) and streptomycin (100 μg mL⁻¹) at 37° C. under5% CO₂. After cultivation, the medium was added to the 96-well plate ina concentration (2×10⁵ cells/well) and then different concentrations ofE. coli LPS (0-100 ng mL⁻¹) were added to the wells for cultivation for24 hours. 100 μL of the medium was reacted with 100 μL of Griess reagentat room temperature for 10 minutes and the absorption value at 570 nmwavelength was measured by spectrophotometer (Labsystems, Helsinki,Finland) (Lin H C, Tsi S H, Chen C S, Chang Y C, Lee C M, Lai Z Y, Lin CM. Structure-activity relationship of coumarin derivatives on xanthineoxidase-inhibiting and free radical-scavenging activities. BiochemicalPharmacology. 2008, 75: 1416-1425).

The amount of LPS was increased from 10 ng mL⁻¹ to 25 ng ml⁻¹, 50 ngmL⁻¹, 75 ng mL⁻¹ and 100 ng mL⁻¹, and the small water cluster (SWC) ofExample 1 was used as the solvent of the medium. Compared to thedeionized water (DI water) as the solvent of the medium, the NO releaseamounts in the above concentrations of the small water cluster were1.0%, 11.5%, 14.1%, 13.7% and 16.2% lower, respectively, so it showsthat the small water cluster can effectively reduce the inflammationinduced by LPS (see FIG. 11).

Example 13 Stability Assay of Small Water Cluster of the Invention

At 0, 1, 2, 3 and 5 days after preparation of the small water cluster ofExample 1, the non-hydrogen bond levels were 24.11%, 23.52%, 23.11%,22.11% and 21.39%, respectively. Compared to the non-hydrogen bond levelof the deionized water, the small water cluster can stably exist for atleast 3 days.

Example 14 Diffusion Assay of Small Water Cluster of the Invention

The water treated with nano-gold in combination with illumination has aweak hydrogen bond, which is responsible for its novel diffusionproperties. FIG. 12 shows cyclic voltammograms in different water-basedsaline solutions (DI water-NaCl for the saline prepared by deionizedwater; AuNT water-NaCl for the saline prepared by the small watercluster treated by the nano-gold in combination with illumination bydaylight lamp; and sAuNT water-NaCl for the saline prepared by themolecular cluster water treated by the nano-gold in combination withillumination by green LED lamp) for K₃Fe(CN)₆ (FIG. 12(a)) andhydroquinone (HQ) (FIG. 12 (b)), from which the diffusion coefficientsof K₃Fe(CN)₆ and HQ in saline solution can be obtained. Encouragingly,the calculated diffusion coefficient of K₃Fe(CN)₆ increased from2.76×10⁻⁶ cm s⁻¹ (1.78×10⁻⁶ cm s⁻¹ for HQ) to 3.59×10⁻⁶ cm s⁻¹ (2.0×10⁻⁶cm s⁻¹ for HQ) when using AuNT water instead of conventional DI water.This is an increase of 30% (12% for HQ) for the diffusion coefficient.This increased to 67% (24% for HQ) using AuNT water prepared using greenLED illumination (4.62×10⁻⁶ cm s⁻¹ for K₃Fe(CN)₆; 2.20×10⁻⁶ cm s⁻¹ forHQ). From the above results, the diffusion effect of the untreatedsaline prepared by deionized water is the worst, and that of the salineprepared by the small water cluster treated by the nano-gold incombination with illumination by green LED lamp (sAuNT water-NaCl) isbetter than the saline prepared by the small water cluster treated bythe nano-gold in combination with illumination by daylight lamp (AuNTwater-NaCl).

Example 15 Blood Dialysis Assay of Small Water Cluster of the Invention

As shown in Example 1, water was treated by nano-gold surface plasmonresonance to obtain the small water cluster and then the small watercluster was used to prepare the hemodialysis solution. The reduction ofNO release induced by LPS mentioned in Example 12 was used to evaluatethe anti-inflammation effect of the small water cluster. FIG. 13 showsthe anti-inflammation effect of the hemodialysis solutions prepared byAuNT water-NaCl and sAuNT water-NaCl, which is evaluated by thereduction of NO release induced by LPS, compared to the hemodialysissolution prepared by DI water-NaCl. As shown in FIGS. 14 (a) and (b),the treatment times for the removal of 70% BUN (100 mg dL21) in bloodare ca. 30 and 16 min using saline solution (DI) and saline solution(sAuNT), respectively (see FIG. 14 (a)). The treatment times for theremoval of 70% Crea (20 mg dL21) in blood are ca. 29 and 12 min usingsaline solution (DI) and saline solution (sAuNT), respectively. Theseresults suggest that the treatment times for the removal of 70% BUN andCrea can be reduced by 47% and 59%, respectively, using AuNT waterinstead of DI water in dialysate of saline solution (see FIG. 14 (b)).As shown in the above results, the hemodialysis effect of the untreatedsaline prepared by deionized water is the worst, and that of the salineprepared by the small water cluster treated by the nano-gold incombination with illumination by green LED lamp (sAuNT water-NaCl) isbetter than the saline prepared by the small water cluster treated bythe nano-gold in combination with illumination by daylight lamp (AuNTwater-NaCl).

Alternatively, to conduct an in vitro hemodialysis assay, the AK column(B3-1.0A) used in hemodialysis was coated with nano-gold and illuminatedduring the hemodialysis and the small water cluster were simultaneouslyproduced. The samples containing BUN, Crea and other medium molecules(B12) were passed through the AK columns with different flow rateswherein “untreated” represents the AK column without the nano-goldcoating and illumination and the “AuNP treated in LED” represents the AKcolumn coated with the nano-gold and treated with illumination by greenLED lamp. The hemodialysis solutions were prepared by DI water. Theresults are shown in FIGS. 15 (a), (b) and (c). FIG. 15 (a) shows theefficiency of removing BUN, FIG. 15 (b) shows the efficiency of removingCrea and FIG. 15 (c) shows the efficiency of removing B12. As shown inFIG. 15, the removal rates of BUN, Crea and B12 by the AK column coatedwith nano-gold in combination with illumination are better than that ofthe untreated AK column.

Example 16 PCR Reaction Using Small Water Cluster of the Invention

The small water cluster of Example 1 was used to conduct a PCR reactionusing 1 mg DNA template, 0.5 nM primer, 0.2 mM dNTP and 0.5 U/ml Taqpolymerase. Then, the PCR product was subjected to electrophoresis withTAE argose gel. The qnrB bacterial gene fragment was used to conduct aPCR reaction in the small water cluster; the PCR rate of the product A(amplified qnrB bacterial gene fragment) increased 20-fold compared tothe deionized water. The result shows that the small water cluster caneffectively increase the PCR reaction rate (see FIG. 16).

What is claimed is:
 1. A water treatment apparatus for preparing smallwater cluster, comprising one or more illumination devices and one ormore holders holding metal particles capable of surface plasmaresonance, provided that the holder allows illumination of the metalparticles.
 2. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the holder is atransparent hollow column or hollow container having one or more inletsand one or more outlets and optionally the one or more outlets have aswitching control valve, wherein the transparent hollow column or hollowcontainer fills with metal particles capable of surface plasmaresonance.
 3. The apparatus of claim 2, wherein the outlet of the columnis narrower than the inlet of the column.
 4. The apparatus of claim 1,wherein the illumination device is a light source providing a wavelengthranging from 100 nm to 3,000 nm.
 5. The apparatus of claim 1, whereinthe illumination device is a daylight lamp, LED lamp, lamp bulb, mercurylamp, metal halide lamp, sodium lamp or halogen lamp.
 6. The apparatusof claim 5, wherein the LED lamp is an LED green lamp.
 7. The apparatusof claim 1, wherein the metal particle is a nano-gold particle, anano-silver particle, a nano-platinum particle, a nano-rhodium particle,a nano-copper particle, a nano-nickel particle, a nano-zirconiumparticle, a nano-alloy particle, a nano-TiO₂ particle, anano-gold/silver particle, a nano-gold/TiO₂ particle, or a combinationthereof.
 8. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metal particle is anano-gold particle, nano-silver particle, nano-gold/silver particle or anano-gold/TiO₂ particle.
 9. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metalparticle is deposited on the surface of ceramic or chitosan to for anano-gold/ceramic particle or a nano-gold/chitosan particle.
 10. Theapparatus of claim 1, wherein the size of the metal particle is 0.1 nmto 1,000 nm.
 11. The apparatus of claim 1, wherein the metal particle isspherical, cylindrical, elliptical, cuboidal or cubical in shape.
 12. Ahemodialysis apparatus, comprising a hemodialysis bag or a hemodialysiscolumn coated with nano-metal particles and an illumination device asstated in claim 1.